Kate Bush - Wonderful Woman No. 55

Kate Bush - Born 1958
British Singer, Songwriter, Musician and Record Label Owner

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Gavin

A few months before I was born, a record called Wuthering Heights (based on the novel by Emily Bronté, with whom Kate shares a birthday) was released in the United Kingdom. It is a record I have heard throughout my life and it never ages or sounds outdated. You know, for that record alone, I would be happy to include her as a wonderful woman.

Wuthering Heights is the very first song I can remember hearing as a small child.
Richard, A Wonderful Man

Kate's career began when at sixteen, her demo tape was heard by David Gilmore of Pink Floyd. Though she had already wrote many songs and was signed to a record label, she did not release her debut album The Kick Inside until 1978, by then aged nineteen. She has, so far, released ten studio albums, the last 50 Words for Snow in 2011. She has won a string of awards both as a musician and a songwriter, including an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

I don't believe in God, but if I did, her music would be my bible.
Tricky, Hip-hop Artist

Kate has always been experimental and eclectic in her musical style. If you were to categorise all her records, you would find the genres pop, rock, folk and electronica, plus a bunch of sub-genres and uncategorisable ones too. I think of her as an intelligent lyricist, referencing historical events and pieces of literature, she creates a character and tells a story through her song.

Her songs read like scenes from short stories, or the stories themselves (odd ones). It's hard to think of a novelist, let alone another singer-songwriter, who takes on such diverse narrative viewpoints with Bush's aplomb.
David Mitchell, Author

As well as telling stories through her lyrics, Kate creates stories through modern dance and visual art. Her image changed to reflect the story of the song. Like previous Wonderful Women, Grace Jones (Wonderful Woman No. 50 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/grace-jones-wonderful-woman-no-50.html) and Bjórk (Wonderful Woman No. 31 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/bjork-wonderful-woman-no-31.html), Kate has been able to use herself as a piece of living art.

Kate now has her own record label, Fish People, with which she has released two albums. This has given her more over-all control of what she creates and allows her to produce music from her home-studio.

Wonderful for her individuality, her creativity, her intelligence and mostly, for what can only be described as raw talent.

I think really the biggest inspiration is people, I think, people are just so inspiring, they're fascinating and wonderful and, I think, you know, that nearly every idea that a person has had has probably at some point, come from another person.
Kate Bush

Nina Simone - Wonderful Woman No. 54

Nina Simone - 1933-2003
American Singer, Songwriter, Musician and Political Activist

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Gavin

Nina Simone should definitely be in there (the album).
Gavin

In the last blog entry, I wrote about Dusty Springfield (Wonderful Woman No. 53 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/dusty-springfield-wonderful-woman-no-53.html) and how the voice of some people can take you on a journey of cathartic experience, moving you to the very core. Well, Nina Simone is another one of those voices, so full of emotion, experience and soul.

From the moment she came into the world, Nina was musical. She was learning piano by the age of three, her first concert at the age of twelve and after some time singing in clubs, cut her first record at twenty-five. Between 1958 and 1993, Nina released more than forty albums and a string of compilations of her music still continue to make huge sales. She was an incredble, fierce performer, nicknamed The High Priestess of Soul, nobody could imitate her style. She had a voice that could move you to tears with songs like Wild is the Wind, scare you silly with Put A Spell On You and completely empower with Feeling Good.

Strong. Sweet. Sharp as ice. As gentle as falling snowflakes. Sometimes frightening. Always nourishing. That, for me, was/is/will always be, the music of Nina Simone.
Kellylee Evans, Jazz Times

Sometimes, being wonderful is not just about what that person did themselves but about how they inspired others. On Nina's Wikipedia page there is a list of performers who have cited Nina as a major inspiration to them, such as; Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blig and John Lennon. Just recently, on accepting her Brit's Critic's Choice Award, singer Emeli Sande stated that Nina remains her "biggest inspiration".

Nina Simone inspires me, since I was nine years old and she still does. So she is my biggest inspiration.
Emeli Sande

At her first concert at the age of twelve, Nina's parents were asked to move from their front row seats to the back of the theatre, because they were black. Nina refused to play until they were able to return to their original seats. This was the beginning of Nina's involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement. In her adult life, she became a spokes person for the movement and advocated the direct approach and militant views of Malcolm X. She recorded a number of civil rights records including Young, Gifted & Black and Mississippi Goddamn. Her belief was strong and she is remembered as a key figure in the process of bringing change to the U.S.A.

Wonderful for her music and voice, a wonderful inspiration to others and wonderful for living by what she believed in.

I would like you to know, I am a doctor of music.
Nina Simone

Dusty Springfield - Wonderful Woman No. 53

Dusty Springfield - 1939-1999
British Singer and Songwriter

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Gavin

For over a year now, I have presented a specialist soul music show on local radio. I play and listen to a lot of female soul artists, not just on the radio but constantly in my every day life. I would not want to imagine the world without music. I would not want to imagine my life without the music I love. And I absolutely cannot imagine a world without ever hearing the voice of Dusty Springfield.

To be carried on that journey for the length of a song, to experience the emotion through the sound of another person's voice and to get completely lost in what you hear, is an integral part of being a human being as far as I am concerned. Dusty's voice is so full of heart and soul, that those cathartic experiences through music come in leaps and bounds. I defy anyone not to be moved by her words.

And that is what makes her really wonderful... everything that you read from here on in is just back-up evidence.

In 1958, Dusty (nicknamed because she was a tomboy, always playing football in dusty streets) joined an established UK music group, The Lana Sisters. After a few years learning her craft playing at live shows and on television and a stint in a band with her brother, Dusty took the decision to follow a solo career. Her first solo single, I Only Wanna Be With You was released in 1963 and was an international hit. Since then, Dusty has released a plethora of hit singles, including the classics; I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and Son Of A Preacher Man. In the 1980s, Dusty recorded a number of tracks with The Pet Shop Boys and has also released duets alongside the likes of Cilla Black, Daryl Hall and Spencer Davis. She released more than twenty albums between 1964 and 1995, with the addition of a multitude of compilation releases, Dusty continues to be a huge selling artist the world over.

I think she is the greatest white singer that there ever has been.
Elton John

Dusty's talent is widely recognised and she has been an inspiration to a generation of soul singers. She is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is listed by many music magazines as one of the greatest female recording artists of all time.

There is a hole in music where Dusty Springfield used to be.
Carole King, Another Wonderful Woman

Dusty, known to have had relationships with both men and women, spoke candidly about her sexuality at a time when gay and lesbian relationships were still very much in the closet, with prejudice and stigma attached. In doing so, she became a gay icon, idolised not just for her voice but for being a joyful representation of gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Her iconic image is also often mimicked by drag queens, imitation - the highest form of flattery.

A lot of people say I'm bent, and I've heard it so many times that I've almost learned to accept it....I know I'm perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I don't see why I shouldn't.
Dusty Springfield

A woman who made the world a more wonderful place through music.

Meryl Streep - Wonderful Woman No. 52

Meryl Streep - Born 1949
American Actress

Added to the album by a wonderful woman called Lowri

Stunning...
Lowri

I have talked earlier in the blog about being inspired by actresses, especially in my earlier years as a performing arts student and jobbing actress. There are some women in the profession who just stand out, who can ignite intense emotion by the slightest move, the flicker of an eye or making a subtle shift in voice tone. Meryl Streep is one of those actresses. She understands that sometimes it is the littlest thing that makes all the difference.

Meryl has performed on stage and on television but is most recognised for her work in film. She has appeared in over forty motion pictures since 1977, including some of the most recognisable film titles of the last four decades, such as; The Deer Hunter, Kramer v. Kramer, The Devil Wears Prada and Mama Mia! Her work has given her more nominations for Academy Awards than anyone else, including a pending nomination for the next Oscars for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the biopic The Iron Lady. Thus far, she has twice won, for her roles in Kramer v. Kramer and Sophie's Choice, she also won Best Supporting Actress in The Deer Hunter. She has won countless other awards including Golden Globes and BAFTAs.

Meryl is seemingly immune to the plague of actresses who suffer from lack of challenging roles as they grow older. Now in her sixties, Meryl still graces our screens in regular blockbuster films, not as the grandma of the leading lady but in gritty, interesting characters... she is still the star of the show.

In every scene, she's actually doing at least two jobs. First, her own character, who is always so complete, so natural, you forget that somewhere in there is Meryl Streep. Then the second is, stabilizing the other actor who is having a nervous breakdown because they're in a scene with Meryl Streep.
Emily Blunt, Actress

Meryl is trained in Stanislavski's System, which is a technique for using the performer's own experience and emotion to portray a character. She is regarded as an expert in her ability to imitate accents and dialects, indeed, for her role in Sophie's Choice, Meryl took a Polish language course in order to have an understanding of her character's first language and how it would affect spoken English.

I would like to think that Meryl would appreciate the Wonderful Women album as much as it's contributors appreciate her. She is a fellow believer in the celebration of amazing ladies, as spokesperson for the National Women's History Museum in the United States, for which she has hosted many events and donated substantial amounts of money to, including her fee for The Iron Lady.

I didn't have any confidence in my beauty when I was young. I felt like a character actress, and I still do.
Meryl Streep

A clip from The Devil Wears Prada >>>

Ada Lovelace - Wonderful Woman No. 51

Ada Lovelace - 1815-1852
British Mathematician, Writer and Engineer

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Lukas

Geeky, but worth inclusion.
Lukas

Definitely worth inclusion, Ada Lovelace was a true visionary, widely revered as the world's first computer programmer.

With the inventor, Charles Babbage, Ada is credited with designing the first mechanical computer. The Analytical Engine was the idea of a machine which could analytically process information and calculate. Ada wrote much about the envisaged steam driven piece of machinery, including the first algorithm, a step-by-step procedure for calculations.

A skilled mathematician, Babbage called her the Enchantress of Numbers. She wrote many papers on number analysis and processing. In her notes she describes an algorithm for the analytical engine to compute Bernoulli numbers. Ada's notes are believed to be the original descriptions of software and computers.

Forget this world and all its troubles and if
possible its multitudinous Charlatans – every thing
in short but the Enchantress of Numbers
Charles Babbage

In the United States, Ada is the name of the computer language used by the military and in the United Kingdom, an award in her name is given by the British Computer Society to outstanding female science and engineering students. Indeed, since 2009 Ada Lovelace Day has been created to celebrate women in the field.

Would I be tapping the keys on my laptop were it not for Ada Lovelace? Possibly not.

Intelligence is most wonderful, as is vision and creativity... for those reasons, Ada is a most welcome addition, geeky or not.

I never am really satisfied that I understand anything; because, understand it well as I may, my comprehension can only be an infinitesimal fraction of all I want to understand about the many connections and relations which occur to me, how the matter in question was first thought of or arrived at.
Ada Lovelace

Grace Jones - Wonderful Woman No. 50

Grace Jones - Born 1948
Jamaican-American Singer, Actress and Model

Added to the album by a wonderful woman called Louise

There are a few things that I personally think are great about Grace Jones; her association with the New York disco scene, specifically Studio 54 and the Paradise Garage; Her appearance in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (I am a huge Bond fan); and her general appearance and attitude... she is one kick-ass lady with a reputation for speaking her mind.

Grace started her career as a model, working closely with Andy Warhol, who called her his muse and photographed her extensively. Her look is unique, the severe hair crop and snarl her trademarks. Often in masculine clothing, she creates a striking image and an unmistakable style. The imagery she has created has been an inspiration to a great many others including Annie Lennox and Lady Gaga. She has become a living artwork.

How did she look by day?.. Quite surreal. Like she doesn't really belong. She definitely belongs to the night.
Grace's Former Make-up Artist

In 1977, Grace secured her first record deal. She has since released ten studio albums and worked alongside some of the music industry's great names including Nile Rogers, Simon Le Bon and Tricky. She has toured and performed at many festivals, being widely acclaimed for her stage presence and performance style.

One of my favourite live performers.
Lindsey, A Wonderful Woman

As an actress, Grace has appeared in nineteen feature films and a number of television shows.

Now in her sixties, Grace is still looking great, still performing, still full of panache and still drawing the attention she did in her twenties. All great reasons to be included as a wonderful woman. There are probably a great many more, she's had such a long career, her life varied and interesting, it seems an impossible task to capture all there is to say about her in the few paragraphs of a blog.

Models are there to look like mannequins, not like real people. Art and illusion are supposed to be fantasy.
Grace Jones

The Dagenham Four - Wonderful Women No. 49 Collectively

The Dagenham Four - Eileen Pullen, Gwen Davis, Sheila Douglass and Vera Sime
British Equal Pay Campaigners

Added to the album by a wonderful woman called Louise

In 1968, the four women pictured and other workers at the Ford motor company's plant in the Essex town, Dagenham, began the process of gaining equality between men and women in the workplace. They were not the only women involved in this struggle and so, serve here not just as wonderful women themselves but also as representations of the many other women who have contributed to this cause.

1960s Britain was a very unequal place. My father has told me that when he met my mother towards the end of the sixties, they were both in full-time employment with skilled jobs. My mother earned somewhere in the region of £10 per week, while he earned around £100 a week. This is not an unusual story, men earned more than women... it's just the way it was.

The women of the Ford plant were skilled machinists, making car seat covers. They discovered that men working for the company, with equivalent skills (such as spray painters), were earning on average 15% more than them. They argued that this was unfair and when their calls for a fairer deal were not met, the women went on strike. Their strike was widely reported in the press to the detriment of Ford's reputation and halted car production.

We weren't actually over the moon about going on strike, but we were determined to fight for our rights because we wanted to be recognised as skilled workers and to get the same grade and the same rates as the men.
Gwen Davis

After three weeks of protest by downing tools, the Home Secretary intervened and a more equal pay grade was agreed with the company.

It is the campaign of these women that ultimately resulted in the Equal Pay Act of 1970, giving women across the country an equal standing of their income to men.

These women, of working class families and ordinary surroundings did so much for the women of the United Kingdom. By making a stand for what was fair and what was right, they made a huge leap towards creating a more equal society and securing women's financial independence. The struggle is far from over, there are still inequalities and stories of employment tribunals involving women's grievances over unequal pay still make the news but things are better than they were, much better. And for those reasons, we should all be truly grateful for these outstandingly wonderful women.

A clip from the film Made in Dagenham, based one the story of The Dagenham Four >>>